In front of the lord’s castle, countless tents had been set up, and just as many people were bustling around.

The faces of the people wandering about were familiar. They were the former residents of the estate, brought back as the rumors had said.

But surprisingly, despite being "captured," everyone seemed cheerful. The slash-and-burn farmers were utterly confused, unsure of what was going on, as Ghislain led them to their new settlement.

Claude, who was busy at work, spotted Ghislain and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“There’s a lot today. You’re really something, catching them like this—better than a fisherman.”

“Pursuit, ambush, annihilation—these are my specialties. I’m also good at laying traps.”

“Yes, yes. You’d make a fine slave trader. If only you had pursued that career, your name would be known across the continent—ow!”

Claude’s sarcastic remark earned him a smack, forcing him to retreat quickly.

Always saying one word too many, getting himself into trouble—it could be considered a talent of its own.

“Stop the nonsense and get this sorted out quickly. We’re busy.”

“Understood!”

Claude swiftly recorded the details of the farmers and recited instructions in one breath.

“For now, you’ll be staying here. If you want, you can return to your original homes, or you can have a new house built in the village we’re establishing. We’re also recruiting workers for the construction, so if you're interested, feel free to apply.”

The farmers nodded for the time being.

Their homes had already been destroyed, and they had little in the way of belongings. Now, with the promise of new homes, they could only be grateful.

“We’ll also distribute food for the time being. It’s being provided by the lord from his personal funds, so you should appreciate it.”

After quickly delivering the message, Claude signaled to the soldiers.

Soon, the soldiers brought out bags filled with wheat, meat, and vegetables.

The farmers’ eyes widened in astonishment.

The food was far more plentiful than the meager scraps they had been surviving on while hiding in the mountains.

Claude, seeing them gulping in disbelief, continued.

“The lord’s orders. If you run out, we’ll give you more, so don’t try to ration and eat sparingly. Don’t make yourself sick by eating spoiled food. If you do, I’ll be the one with the headache.”

Claude pointed to a large stack of food sacks, and the farmers’ gazes followed his gesture.

There were so many food sacks piled up, and more kept coming in.

The farmers looked at Ghislain with bewildered expressions.

Was he really giving them houses, jobs, and food?

“If you had just come quietly, you wouldn’t have been hit,” Ghislain said, clicking his tongue.

When the soldiers untied the bound farmers, they immediately fell to the ground, bowing in gratitude.

“Thank you, thank you, my lord.”

“We won’t cause any more trouble.”

“We’ll work hard.”

The farmers, who had feared they would be executed, sighed in relief.

Though they weren’t entirely convinced yet, they were starting to think Ghislain might be different from other nobles.

“Alright, you’ll be guided to your new village soon. In the meantime, stay out of trouble.”

One of the lower-ranking officials led the farmers to temporary tents.

Among the group, a child turned to look back—the same boy who had clenched his teeth, holding back tears in the mountains earlier.

Ghislain noticed the boy and winked playfully.

“See? I told you I’m a kind person, didn’t I?”

Claude, hearing this, rubbed his ears as if he were hearing things. Ghislain simply snorted and ignored him.

The boy hesitated, then bowed deeply. Ghislain laughed and tossed him an apple.

“This is for you. Don’t share it with anyone.”

The boy bowed again and hurried after the others.

The same process repeated itself several times.

Runaway serfs were rounded up, provided with houses, and given regular food distributions.

Even the homes of the original estate residents were repaired or rebuilt, so there were no complaints.

Rumors slowly began to spread—maybe the new lord wasn’t so bad after all.

Responding to these rumors, Ghislain busied himself even more.

Despite the mountain of paperwork he had to deal with, he trained every day and regularly inspected the estate.

“Young master, please take a break! If only you had worked this hard on your studies from the start!” Belinda, alarmed by his relentless pace, tried to stop him.

She was worried about his health, but there was another concern.

“What about the farming? It’s already been a month!”

He was working hard, but it seemed like the important bet had been pushed to the back burner.

In the past month, all he had done was gather people, give them homes, and feed them.

“Oh, that? There’s still plenty of time. I’ve gathered enough people, and I was planning to start soon.”

The serfs had regained their strength and now had a place to live, so it was time to begin the more important work.

“We’ll start clearing the farmland.”

News of the recruitment spread, and many of the serfs gathered.

Word had gotten around that those who helped build the houses had been well paid.

Even the elderly and children volunteered, though some had to be sent home.

As Ghislain looked at the energetic faces of the serfs, he smiled in satisfaction.

“Everyone’s full of energy. That’s a good sign. We’ll finish in no time.”

Claude had already taken care of securing the location for the new farmland and obtaining the necessary tools.

All Ghislain had to do now was lead the serfs to start the work.

But as they followed Ghislain and began turning the soil, the serfs couldn’t hide their doubts.

“Why are we clearing land that can’t be used?”

“Are they going to blame us later when the crops don’t grow?”

The farmers, who had lived their whole lives working the land, knew better than anyone what kind of soil Fenris estate had.

The previous lords hadn’t ignored the idea of clearing new land out of laziness. It was simply that the land was too poor to make it worthwhile.

“Well, let’s just do as we’re told.”

“Seems like no one around here knows much about farming. Tsk, tsk… What can we do?”

“We’re doing it because they’re paying us and feeding us... but honestly, I’m scared of what might happen later.”

“Did you hear? This whole thing is a bet between the lord and the chief administrator. They’re betting on whether crops will grow or not.”

“Ah, our lord’s in big trouble. Didn’t he know this land can’t grow crops?”

The workers muttered anxiously among themselves.

They were worried about what might happen if the lord lost the bet. Would he take his frustration out on them?

Still, none of them had the courage to approach Ghislain and give him advice.

So, they did as they were told and kept digging.

For those who had been starving, the offer of money and food was motivation enough to work hard.

With everyone competing to outwork each other, the land was cleared in just a few days.

When the seasons changed, and the seeds were sown, they would see for sure that Ghislain’s efforts were in vain.

The serfs, knowing this outcome was inevitable, were grim-faced, but Ghislain, surveying the cleared land, couldn’t stop smiling.

“These once useless lands are finally going to be of use.”

The serfs, unable to understand why the lord was so pleased about overturning barren land, were nervous.

Wouldn’t he be angry when he realized he was wrong?

They couldn’t even bring themselves to smile, instead anxiously looking off into the distance.

But their anxiety didn’t last long. Once the work was done, Ghislain gathered the serfs together, and they looked at each other with hopeful glances.

“Well done. I’m impressed by your hard work. It’s great to see everyone working so enthusiastically.”

Pleased with how quickly the work had been completed, Ghislain patted the workers on the back and smiled.

The serfs whispered amongst themselves.

“Do you think... it’s happening again?”

“Of course. Look how pleased he looks.”

For common folk, working alongside their lord was quite the burden.

And yet, they flocked to work under Ghislain rather than Claude or the others.

There was a reason for that.

Claude constantly nagged while they worked, making him the most unpopular supervisor.

He kept saying things like, “You have to finish everything before you leave.”

His nitpicking and grumbling were unbearable.

Belinda, on the other hand, would sit in a corner, staring blankly as the workers toiled, only to suddenly burst out in frustration for no apparent reason.

She was so unpredictable that the workers who were assigned to her area tried to avoid her as much as possible.

And then there was Gillian and Kaor, whose mere presence was overwhelming, making it hard to even breathe around them. The serfs carefully avoided them whenever they could.

Despite being the most intimidating figure on the estate, Ghislain was somehow the easiest to work with.

Of course, there was one decisive reason why the serfs preferred working under Ghislain.

“Here, take this and have some drinks. Get a good rest, and make sure to work just as hard next time.”

Ghislain always rewarded them generously for their efforts.

He handed out extra silver coins on top of their usual pay, pleased with how quickly they had finished the work.

The serfs, faces beaming, took the money gratefully.

“Thank you, my lord.”

“We’ll put it to good use!”

“Call on us anytime!”

Though their pay was already set, Ghislain always gave a little extra to those who worked hard, for one simple reason.

He understood that fair rewards were the greatest motivator for people.

And indeed, those who worked under him always put in more effort than anyone else.

As Ghislain watched the overjoyed serfs, he frowned slightly.

‘I keep telling them to spend their money, but why are they saving it all? Time is of the essence... tsk.’

He had even allocated funds for the others to give extra pay to the diligent workers, but they rarely used it.

It seemed the serfs were so used to poverty that they couldn’t shake the habit of saving.

They were so focused on conserving money for the estate that they failed to realize that speeding up the work was more important.

‘Ugh, I can’t keep nagging them about it. What a pain.’

He could keep reminding them, but that wasn’t the best approach.

Once you entrust someone with a task, you have to trust them to get it done.

Ghislain wasn’t the type to kindly guide his subordinates through every step.

All he could do was give them a nudge from time to time.

With that in mind, Ghislain threw money into the estate’s development as if to make up for the others’ hesitation.

“Alright, keep moving. There’s still a lot of work to do.”

Work continued to pile up around the estate.

Many facilities had been neglected for so long that they were no longer usable.

As repairs were made and the farmland expanded, the previously tense atmosphere began to brighten.

For the serfs, who had struggled just to survive, even this much was a blessing.

“Our lord may not know much about farming, but at least he’s trying to make this place livable.”

“I heard rumors he used to be a troublemaker. Caused a lot of chaos when he was young.”

“Oh, that must have been when he was a kid. He’s pouring money into the estate and giving us work. If he were still a troublemaker, he’d be off drinking and fooling around, not doing all this.”

It’s true that people are kinder when their bellies are full.

At first, the serfs had feared Ghislain, but they were quickly warming up to him.

Just as the serfs began singing his praises, Ghislain called in the mages.